They would ask me what actors I saw in the roles. I would tell them, and they’d say “Oh that’s interesting.” And that would be the end of it.
--Elmore Leonard, in 2000, on the extent of his input for Hollywood's adaptation of his novels

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Tamar Ossowski's "Left"

Tamar Ossowski resides in Needham, Massachusetts. She is married and has three children, one of whom was born with special needs and could spell before he learned to speak. She wrote the novel Left to explore the possibility that you can only become the person you are supposed to be once you truly embrace the person you already are.

Here Ossowski dreamcasts an adaptation of Left:

There are four main characters in Left. From the very beginning, I envisioned the actors who could play the parts of the two adult women but the girl’s parts were more difficult. I knew one was dark and curly haired and the other blonde. I could hear their voices in my head but no one I have ever seen on television or film comes close to being the children that live inside my head.

On the other hand, the two adult female roles have always been extremely clear in my mind.

Therese, the mother who abandons her special needs child would be played either by Natalie Portman or Ashley Judd who both possess a powerful sexy sultriness that is perfect for the roll.

Leah, the character with whom the child is left, would be played by Nicole Kidman. But I have to admit I can also imagine Amanda Seyfried or Scarlett Johansson playing her as well since both possess an ethereal quality mixed with a hint of broken heart that makes them ideal for the part.

“Compared to a novel, a film is like an economy pizza where there are no olives, no ham, no anchovies, no mushrooms, and all you’ve got is the dough.”
--Louis de Bernières, author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin